Fallen Phoenix
by My Imagination Died
Summary: Tekken/DOA Hitomi X Leifang "It's better that she never see me again, rather than let her find out what I've become." FOURTH chapter is in. Finally.
1. Chapter 1

OK, my first ever fanfic. Originally, this was gonna be a Fate/Stay Night fic, but I got inspired to do DOA somehow. I know what you're thinking. 'Not another Hitomi x Leifang piece', right? Well, it's something I've wanted to do for a while now, and with any luck, the approach I'm taking should make mine unique. OK, time for me to shut the fuck up....

Disclaimer notice: Dead Or Alive is property of Tecmo(or Team Ninja), and Tekken is property of namco(So much for surprises. It's a krazy krossover, but bear with me here).

The Fallen Phoenix

CHPTR 1: The Darkness Within the Light

"Seeya next week!" Hitomi waved, as the last of the students left through the front doors of the dojo. She turned around to her father and gave a smile, who smiled back. The man was of a tall and muscular build, with spiky blonde hair, and a matching beard. He wore a traditional white Karate gi with the family's phoenix emblem on the back. He was seated on one of the mats with his legs crossed.

"So, how did I do?" Hitomi asked cheerfully.

"I couldn't have done a better job." He replied.

"Really? You mean it?"

"Indeed. You have a way with the younger ones, and it seems the troublemakers respect you."

"Hmmm......I don't think it's me they respect" Hitomi said, dropping her smile to look at her well-endowed bust.

"Heh, well, at least they're paying attention. And, I doubt they'll try and make a move on the runner up of the fourth DOA tournament!" Her dad responded with pride.

Ever since Hitomi returned from Zack Island, he had been assisting with training for the three months that followed. Tonight, her father decided to let her take the lead in training to see if the future of his dojo was in good hands. It was one thing to simply utilise one's skills in a tournament, but another thing altogether to teach them. Tonight, Hitomi exceeded his expectations greatly.

"OK, Papa, I'm getting changed." Hitomi said.

Oh, sure. Hopefully the pizza I ordered will arrive soon."

Hitomi rolled her eyes. She had a grudge against all takeout food, However, she knew that it was easier this way rather than allowing her to cook after training. Both her and her father knew that they didn't have time for Hitomi to have her way with a kitchen after training. She went into the changing rooms, and slipped out of her white gi. She rumaged through her training bag and pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans, and a matching denim jacket. Hitomi struggled and squirmed to get herself into her impossibly tight jeans. She fitted a brown leather belt around her jeans and casually slipped the jacket over her cream black tank top. As she went for her black leather shoes, a small polaroid floated down towards the floor. Hitomi picked it up, and sighed heartfully.

The polaroid contained a picture of a girl against a tropical island backdrop. She had long flowing black hair, hazelnut eyes, and was wearing a blue and white bikini. The girl in the picture was Leifang, a competitor who Hitomi lost to in the third DOA tournament roughly a year ago. She vowed revenge for her loss, and trained hard for the next tournament-only to find it to be an excuse for Zack to showcase his new island to the female competitors. It was there that Hitomi got to see a different side to Leifang. She was confident and driven to her goals, yet at the same time, she could never do something without thinking about it(a stark contrast to Hitomi's impulsive nature). On the first vacation, Hitomi taught Leifang to relax a little, and started growing fond of her company.

Their next meeting was in the riviera six months ago. Their tournament fight commenced, over all things, a cabbage. The fight was intense, and it resulted in most of the marketplace being torn up. But Hitomi came out the victor, and the two of them laughed it off in the end. Such was the bond of their friendship at the time. It was then, that Hitomi began to question her sexuality, and her feelings towards Leifang.

And then finally, there was the recent vacation to Zack's new island, the best two weeks of Hitomi's life. The memories of the time spent with Leifang there were limitless. Like the time they found that secret hotspring in the north side of the island, the endless losing streak against Helena and Christie at volleyball, the time they swam with the dolphins, and the time they blackmailed Zack with pictures of him and Tina-just to name a few. Each of them took whole gigs worth of pics of each other, and shared an intimacy that stopped inches short of that first kiss. Saying goodbye at the end of the two weeks was possibly the hardest thing she ever had to do. Although she always acted impulsively on most things, she kept herself from revealing her feelings in fear of Leifang's reaction. She assumed that it was just a physical infatuation that would fade over time. But over those three months, her feelings just got stronger. She couldn't hide it from herself. She loved Leifang. She wanted nothing else but to be by her side. But she had to hide those feelings from the world. And it tore at her from the inside. She did a good job of hiding it, but the seams were bursting, and sooner or later, people would start to notice.

Hitomi uttered Leifang's name quietly, as she held the polaroid to her chest. She then brought it up to her lips and kissed it gently, before sliding it into the left pocket of her jeans. She then put on her black leather shoes, and headed back out to the training area, where the deceptively good smell of pizza and her grinning father waited for her. She sat herself infront of her father and the box of pizza.

"Meatlovers! I hope you don't mind." Her father grinned.

"Not at all." Hitomi fakely smiled back.

She took a slice of pizza, and took a bite. She never truly hated the taste of junk food, her hatred derived more from the pride in her own cooking.

"So, I've been thinking about tonight. You did well instructing the class tonight, physically I think you could take a more permanent role in instructing, but....." He trailed off

"Hmm?"

Hitomi's father swallowed the mouthful of pizza in his mouth.

"But I wonder if you're in the right emotional state for it." He finished.

"What do you mean?"

"Hitomi, I may only be your father, but I do notice some things. And I've noticed that you've been as miserable as hell ever since you came back from that vacation. What exactly happened there?" He asked.

"What happened?" Hitomi repeated the question as he lowered her head. "The best two weeks of my life. That's what happened."

"If it was so good, then why are you so down?" He brooched.

Of all the people whom she didn't want to know her secret, her father was pretty high up on the list. She looked up to him not only as a father, but as a mentor and friend. Although not a devout Christian, his morales were definitely 'by the book'. She'd surely be disowned if he found out that Hitomi liked other girls. She didn't want him to press the issue further, and surely enough, she'd get her wish, as a mysterious figure entered the room. It was a tall male figure, dressed in black and red training pants, and a matching hooded jacket which hid his face. Beneath his jacket were a pair of full fingered gloves in the corresponding colours. Though he was trying to hide it, the aura Hitomi sensed from this man was incredible.

_That man......could he be?_

"Sorry, but you're too late for the lesson. If you wouldn't mind grabbing a membership form from the table over there, I can run through some details with you." Her father suggested.

"Of course" The man responded with a young, yet deep voice.

As he walked past Hitomi, she caught a glimpse of his face. Her eyes shot up as she lept to her feet.

"Take off your hood!" She demanded, pointing at the man.

Hitomi! What the hell?!" Her father responded.

Hitomi ignored him, an continued to stare down the hooded man, who now stopped in his tracks. He slowly removed his hood, to reveal a unique hair cut. His hair was spiked towards the back of his head, with a few locks hanging over his fringe. He had look about his face suggesting that he's never smiled a day in his life. Hitomi's father raised an eyebrow when he saw who it was.

"So, what's the big deal about this guy?" He asked.

"This man, is Jin Kazama. He competes in the last Iron Fist Tournament. He uses a fighting style similar to ours!" Hitomi explained like an excited school girl.

"THIS is Jin Kazama? Oh yeah, I remember watching some of his fights. He went missing halfway through though-"

"That's something I do not wish to discuss!" Jin piped up, cutting off the potential question.

"OK.....So then, what brings you to Germany?"Hitomi's father asked.

"I heard that a legendary karate master owned this Dojo. You are Reubens Kaufmann, aren't you?"

"I am. So then, what brings you to my dojo." He asked, his blue eyes glaring directly at Jin's

"Training. I heard that your techniques are much more powerful than regular karate, while using a minimal amount of ki" He responded, while still in an intense eye lock.

Reubens began to walk away.

"hmph, I'm not sure where you heard such a wild rumour from." He huffed.

Jin took another step forward.

"Please. What you know may save my life.......and the lives of those around me" Jin pleaded.

On that notion, Reubens stopped.

"When will you kids learn? You can't save lives with your fists? And besides, the power of a technique comes from the user, not the technique itself. You should know this!" Reubens stated, with a tone of frustration in his voice.

"But....I'll impart what knowledge I have. Provided you can show me what you can do in battle." He then smiled.

"Very well then." He said, as he removed his jacket.

The removal of his jacket revealed a fairly muscular body. His gloves, now in full view, closely resembled armoured gauntlets. His physique reminded Hitomi of Ein, way back when he lost his memory. Reubens turned around at Jin.

"If you think that you are fighting me, you have another thing coming. You'll be facing someone far more powerful then me." He smiled.

He then turned his head towards Hitomi.

"You'll be facing my daughter." He said proudly.

Hitomi's eyes lit up at her fathers words. It took her years of training and hard simply to make him proud of her. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine her Father claiming that she was stronger. Her heart raced a few extra beats at the response.

P-Papa.....Did you....mean.." She started.

"I did. You should be enough of a match for him." He responded with a nod.

Hitomi removed her jacket, and put on her red fingerless gloves. She then moved to the centre of the training mat to stand face to face with Jin.

"Ya know, ever since I saw your matches, I kinda wished you fought in the DOA instead." Hitomi cheered.

"I have no business with DOATEC, and hopefully, I never will." Jin responded coldly, referring to the nasty business behind the Dead Or Alive Tournament.

Reubens took a position at the edge of the room to watch the fight.

"On my mark." He said as both fighters took up their fighting stances.

"FIGHT!!"

The first move was made by Hitomi, who rushed in to deliver a few punches which Jin easily blocked. His response was a right roundhouse which sailed over Hitomi's head as she ducked. He attempted to follow up with a straight right fist which Hitomi caught in delivery. While holding his wrist with her left hand, She moved in to deliver her right elbow to Jin's gut, and in the same motion, tipped him over her shoulders. As Jin rolled to recover, Hitomi tried to finish with a back kick to Jin's head, which he Narrowly blocked. Hitomi backed away before Jin was able to counter.

"Not bad, but I feel like you're holding back on me!" She taunted.

Jin helped himself back to his feet and took up his fighting stance again. This time, Jin made the first move by throwing punch after punch at Hitomi. She was able to block them, but Jin put a devestating amount of power into each punch, and the heavy gauntlets he wore added even more hurt. Even blocking his attacks were beginning to hurt. Another fist caused her to stagger back, and in her state of vulnerability, Jin unleashed a jumping left uppercut to her chin, sending her flying into the air. As she came back down, Jin took a run at her, intending to land a spinning kick to her back, but just as foot was about to connect, Hitomi barrel rolled in midair, blocking his foot with both arm and legs. With a yell, she opened her arms and legs, unleashing a burst of energy that knocked Jin back. He was sent a fair distance, and had to recover from a tumble. Reubens watched from a distance with a calculating facial expression.

Jin slowly got back on his feet. He was panting slightly.

"How......how is she so powerful?" Jin exclaimed.

"There's no trick to her power. It simply comes from years of training." Reubens answered for her.

"I thought you were more powerful then this. Why are you holding back?" He added.

Jin snarled at Reubens, who still didn't change his facial expression.

"Excuse me, but we still have a fight to finish!" Hitomi said, extending her hand in a c'mon gesture.

In response, Jin charged at Hitomi, and unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks at Hitomi. She was able to dodge these attacks this time around. She looked into Jin's eyes to see the fear and desparation in them. Whether or not it was fear of losing, she didn't know, but it was fear of something. She starred in disbelief at her 'ideal' opponent. It was time to finish this. Jin shot too high with a right kick, and found Hitomi's fist collide with his solar plexis. As he staggered back in pain, Hitomi's fists began to glow.

"HAAAAAA"

She glided in to land three direct blows to his chest. Each shot sounded like thunderclaps as the last shot sent him hurtling back into a wall. From the wall, he slumped down to his knees.

"Uhh........Why?.......Why can't I find the strength to cast off this blood curse?" He moaned in pain.

"Blood curse, what are you on about?" Hitomi asked.

Jin didn't respond. Instead, he clutched his head and screamed in pain.

"W-what's wrong? Are you OK" She asked, with a bit of uncertainty in her voice.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!! RUN!! AS FAR AS YOU CAN!!!" Jin shouted in pain.

He looked up at Hitomi with a look of pure anguish, as she saw the most horrifying thing-his eyes were changing colour to bright red. Suddenly, Reubens rushed towards Hitomi's side.

"Keep your distance from him!" He warned.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Can't you sense it? His Ki, it's evil!"

Hitomi concentrated and felt the evil seeping out from Jin. It was much darker than anything she'd ever felt before. She gulped as she realised why Jin was holding back during their fight. He wanted to avoid this from happening. And the reason why he sought her father out was because he thought he might know something to supress whatever was inside of him. But now it all seemed too late.

"th-this is different from the other times! It's never pushed this hard before........I-I......I can't hold it together anymore!.........AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

As he screamed, he began to levitate in the air, and started undergoing a transformation of sorts. His gauntlets took on a more demonic look. Chains began to appear around his right bicep, waste, and below his left knee. His skin went ghostly gray. Strange tatoos apeared on his body and face. Two horns grew out from the sides of his head. Most distinctive of all, were two black eagle-like wings the burst out from his back. Slowly decended to the ground, keeping his head bowed down. In the blink of an eye, he reered his head at Hitomi and Reubens, baring an insane grin revealing vampire-like teeth, and glowing red eyes. He began to slowly shuffle towards them.

"Demon! What do you want?!" Reubens shouted, showing no fear in his voice.

"......._Power....."_

Reubens lowered his brows in anger.

"If you want at my daughter, you'll have to go throu-" He was cut short as Jin launched his hand through his chest.

With a satisfied grin, he pulled his hand out of Reuben's chest, and allowed the blood to flow freely through the open wound. Reubens dropped to his knees as he began to choke on the red liquid.

"PAPA!!!!" Hitomi shouted, as tears welled up in his eyes.

Jin looked down at his victim blankly, until snarl appeared on his face. With a growl, he swatted Reuben's head clean off his shoulders. His headless body collapsed to the side, as blood jetted out from the stump.

"P-papa?!" Hitomi wimpered. Her mind was in a state of limbo. She didn't know whether to feel despair for her father's death, or anger for his murderer. She turned to look at the monster now starring at her with unknown intent, and her mind was suddenly cleared from limbo. Anger.

"_.....Hate me.....resent me......curse me.......Ball it up, and throw it all at me!!!" _He uttered with a grin.

Hitomi narrowed her eyes, and focused all her anger at her opponent. She charged in and attempted a right kick at his head, only for it to be caught. Jin clamped down on the leg, before hoisting her of her other foot, and literally chucking her across the room. Her back landed hard into the wall, as pain briefly shot through her body. As she got her bearings, she saw Jin charge her full speed, his right hand ready for another punch. Hitomi moved her head slightly, and avoided Jin's fist as it splintered the wall. He roared in frustration, as Hitomi took the opening to deliver two quick punches to his ribs, causing him to stagger back slightly.

Still feeling the effects of being chucked across the room, she attempted to capitalise with a right punch, only to have the edge of Jin's hand collide violently with her ribs. Stunned from the pain, the hand clutched her throat, and lifted her airborne again. She squirmed and struggled as Jin's right hand squeezed the life out of her, while he clawed his left hand. Perhaps to take her life the same way he took her father's. Thinking quickly, she rammed the edge of her hand into the pit of Jin's elbow. Hitting the nerves, Jin was forced to drop her. As she hit the ground, Hitomi cupped her hands together, and released them against Jin, creating a Ki blast that sent him sailing towards another wall. He beat his wings back to break the fall, and remained hovering in mid air.

Hitomi slouched down to allow precious wind back into her lungs. This was the toughest fight she had ever been in. Tougher than the DOA Grand Final match against Ryu Hayabusa, which she actually lost. But there was a difference this time. She held back against Ryu because it was a competitive match, and she had no intentions on killing anyone. This time she was in a life or death situation against a monster who killed her father. By all logical accounts, she should be unconscious, but the rage she felt egged her on, made her feel stronger and more determined. No matter what it took, she was going to tear Jin limb from limb.

"_Yes......that's what I came to see! Anger too deep for mere words! Bask in it, FOR YOU WILL NEED EVERY SHRED TO DESTROY ME!!!!!"_

With that statement, a red orb orb of energy gathered infront of Jin's forehead. Suddenly, a red beam of energy shot out at Hitomi. She moved to avoid it, but the shot grazed her arm. She yelped more out of surprise, as she quickly rolled out of the way of a second shot. If she stayed on the defensive, she would lose her adrenalin rush, and then be practically defenseless. If she was going to win, it had to be in the next move. She gritted her teeth as lighting forked up and down her right arm. She bolted at Jin while he fired more beams. She dodged left and right, but still kept her forward momentum. Eventually, her hand began to glow blue as it accumulated even more ki. She was only a few feet away from Jin. Hitomi lept into the air, as he fired another beam at point blank range. With her right hand, she swatted the beam away, derailing its course to one the already damaged beyond repair walls. She was now upon Jin.

"FATHER!!!!!" She screamed.

On command, the energy in her hand extended to form the shape of a large blade. Jin roared in pain as Hitomi brought her hand across his chest, ripping through it, and searing the flesh in the process. Hitomi landed on the ground, and the energy around her hand dissipated. Jin floated to his knees, his breath quivering from the gaping wound across his chest. The technique Hitomi used was one she fashioned herself after returning from the fourth DOA tournament, which she simply named 'Zweihandler'. She accidently discovered it when training alone. Using what her father tought her about channeling ki, she explored this further, and discovered that she could form it into a corporeal blade of sorts. Tonight was the first time she used it in battle.

She turned around to face Jin, and collapsed to her knees, finally allowing herself to suffer from her injuries. While the wound was not enough to kill someone like him outright, he was still incapacitated either way. Hitomi needed to gather her strength to finish the job.

"_Evil lurks within even the most innocent of souls...... Tonight has given me......a pleasant reminder of this simple fact." _Jin uttered within dying breaths.

"Don't you dare lecture me on evil! You killed my father!" She snarled.

"_And you killed this boy!" _Was the comeback.

"What?!" Hitomi gasped, derailed from her previous rage.

"_This boy, Jin Kazama.......he carried the blessing of the Mishima bloodline. A vain fool. He tried so hard to.....remove what he called a curse.....without a plan, or even an idea of what to do. He deserves his fate.........In fact.........It just proves that the Mishimas are no longer worthy of this blessing." _

Hitomi had no idea what he was rabbeling on about, but she was somehow transfixed to his stare.

"_This......is not the end for us.........merely.........THE BEGINNING!!!"_ Were his last words.

The world around Hitomi blacked out, until all she could see was his eyes. Suddenly, all of her nerves shot up in the most intense pain, as she felt her body trying to shake itself apart. Her ears echoed with an ear piercing screech, and all she could see now was blood red. She cried out in panic, but she couldn't hear her own voice, or even her thoughts. And then, her mind blanked out.........

Writer's notes: Well, the second hardest part is over with-the first chapter. Now I've gotta deal with the hardest part-keeping the motivation to keep this story going. Assuming you didn't absolutely hate what you saw here, you might be thinking: What the fuck sort of crossover is this if Jin dies in the first freaking chapter?!? Well, Jin's death is important to the rest of the story. It should be clear on why that is by now. I did promise something unique for a HitomixLeifang fic, and hopefullfy I've delivered for now. I should have the next chapter up within the next fortnight. Lord knows I've got nothing better to do with the time.

Next chapter: Hitomi wakes up to find herself no longer in the dojo, and with no idea what the fuck is going on.

Final Disclaimer notice: Dead or Alive and all affiliated characters are owned by Tecmo(or Team Ninja), Tekken and all affiliated characters are owned by Namco(after hearing about that shit with Sunrise and Lantis Corp, one can never be too careful nowadays)


	2. Chapter 2

Well, firstly I'd like to say thank you for your reviews. It's grateful to know that my work has been taken in for better or for worse(so far for better). Now, to take an opportunity to respond to one comment from someone I know from out site . As far as Jin being a character is concerned, it was always my intention have him as an extra. His death however, is something that will have far reaching consequences throughout the story. As far as character development is concerned, I'll build on it as the story progresses. In saying that though, I don't want to sacrifice the story for the sake of character development, and vice versa. So, be prepared for a few more characters seeming like extras. But, you came here to read the next chapter, not this. So, without further adue........

Disclaimer notice: DOA and all affiliated characters are owned by Tecmo(or Team Ninja). Tekken and all affiliated characters are owned by namco.

The Fallen Phoenix

CHPTR 2: The Devil Gene

Hitomi's eyes fluttered open to be greeted by an eerie grey sky. Steady rain pattered on the wooden floorboards around her. She was absolutely drenched. Her once beautiful thick brown hair lay sprawled out like a wet mop. Her tank top, although black, gained some see through qualities. Luckily, her strapless bra was also black, so she didn't reveal anything. She wanted to get up, but her nerves had all but shut down on her, so all she could do was stare up at the clouds with her sky blue eyes. Hitomi was unsure how long she had been lying here. She cast her mind back to her last memories. She remembered fighting Jin, before transforming into something else. She remembered Jin brutally murdering her father, before engaging her in the toughest fight of her life. She remembered starring into his defeated eyes before her world turned asunder. As if that last memory had flipped a switch, all the feeling instantly returned to her body. She proped herself up, and her jaw dropped at what awaited her.

It was very clear that she was no longer in the dojo. She looked to be in a japanese style throne room or temple, judging by the giant golden budha at the end of the room. Elaborately carved pillars lined the sides of the room, holding up a roof that was now scattered shards over the floor. The walls were coloured bright red, though they bore craters and holes in them. What really shocked Hitomi to the core though, were the dozens of human bodies scattered around the room. They were dressed in crimson ninja garb. Some of them wore samurai breatplates, some of them didn't. Katanas, blood, and og all things, black feathers littered the wooden floors. Hitomi wandered around the room in sheer anxiety to what surrounded her. It increased dramatically when she saw two different bodies.

The two bodies were both male and female. The male's head was resting in the female's lap at the base of the budha statue. The male wore a white ninja garb, with short sleaves exposing his elbows between the sleave and the light black gauntlets he wore. Unlike the others, he didn't wear a hood. His hair was a colour similar to caramel, with a parted fringe almost that almost reached his chin. He looked fairly young, but his final facial expression suggested his passing moments were spent in unimaginable pain. The young woman nestling him wore sleeveless purple garb, with similar greaves and gauntlets to the male. Her bust, while slightly smaller than Hitomi's were neatly packaged, and would put most regular women to shame. The most distinguishing feature was her violet shoulder length hair. She wore a dark purple head band with her fringe hanging over it. The silky features of her hair survived being waterlogged, despite the fact that it was being soaked as much as Hitomi's. The two bodies lying there were no strangers. Hitomi knew them both too well.

"A-Ayane?! Ein?!?" She gasped.

Ein, who was better known as Hayate, was found in the black forest by her father when she was sixteen. They took him in and, and in the short time he stayed with them, mastered karate much quicker than any other student. However, after the 2nd DOA tournament, he regained his memories, and simply dissapeared. During the 3rd DOA tournament, her objective was to bring Ein back to her father's dojo, but once she learnt that he led a ninja clan, it became blatantly obvious that he was not even remotely interested in the dojo. Ayane was of the same clan as Ein. Hitomi didn't have much to do with Ayane. She perhaps played against her in a volleyball match during her vacation, but that was about it. She made it a point to avoid Ayane when possible, since her persona at best, was extremely volatile. But still the fact that someone she personally knew lay dead in front of her didn't make it any easier.

"Oh......god....." Hitomi moaned as an overwhelming wave of nausea forced her to her hands and knees.

A horrific scene begun to play out before her eyes.......

_It was nightime. Dense clouds had blocked out the moon and stars. The wind howled furously through the trees, as if to warn the sleeping village of the nightmare about to be unleashed upon them. It was a quaint little japanese village, the type not seen since the feudal era. Small wooden huts and shacks lined paths draw out in the dirt, overlooked by a mighty feudal era castle, eight stories tall at least. Hitomi left the surrounding forest to survey the village. Not a soul outdoors tonight, only fools would be out in this weather. Her eyes perked up when she saw someone standing outside one of the shacks. He was dressed in a full crimson ninja garb. Only his eyes remained visible with the mask he was wearing. But that's all Hitomi needed to see._

_She casually made her way towards the sentry. As he turned around, he gasped at what he saw and jumped back. He then released a high pitched whistle. That's all Hitomi needed from him. She dashed several feet at him, grasped his throat and held him in the air. Her red gloves, although not quite armoured gauntlets, had transformed into full-fingered gloves, and sported the warped physical qualities of Jin's gauntlets when he transformed. The ninja in her grasp kicked furiously at her, while clutching her wrist in an attempt to escape. His pupils shrunk with the fear akin to a cow fully aware of its fate at the slaughter house. She increased her vice on the ninja's neck, until she felt the bones and tendons snap. The ninja went limp, and with a satiated grin, she threw her prey into a nearby shack, spintering the wall as he sailed through. Hitomi looked up at sky, as more whistles echoed through the air. Many, many more will taste death at her hands tonight._

_She stood still, and waited for them to come. And sure enough, they came. Several dozens worth of ninjas. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop and running across the walls at a blinding speed amongst an endless volley of shurikens. Hitomi smiled, and stretched out two great objects from her back. She swung them forward over her body, causing two masses of black feathers to block her view, looking remarkably like wings. The gust caused by this motion was so powerful, that it broke through the northerly wind, and sent the shurikens back to their masters. The ninja advance was abruptly halted, some leaping behind walls and shacks to take cover from their returning volley, others met their deaths within the metal storm. Hitomi took to the skies, and then descended upon the confused ranks of the ninjas. _

_The ninjas attempted their attack in an incredible display of acrobatics. They launched several vicious attacks, but the few that hit their mark, only caused swords to shatter on impact with Hitomi's gloves, or punches and kicks to bounce off without so much as a flinch. Hitomi returned the favour, only with brutal accuracy. A fist here would cave a face in. A kick there would send one airborne, and vice versa. While glowing red orbs fired from her hands pursued and cut down those who fled. The more she killed, the more she felt the exhilaration, and the more she wanted. As she made her bloody path to the castle, the tide of ninjas began to trickle, until only a handful of them remained between her and the castle. They cautiosly began approach her, their weapons raised ready for any move she made. In response, Hitomi drew her right arm back. Red lighting bolts forked up and down her arm. With an unspoken command, the ninjas charged her. Instantly, a glowing red blade of energy formed around her right hand. She brought the Zweihandler up over the ranks of the incoming ninjas, cleaving the majority in two. The few that remained, met a quick end through a series of bone crunching kicks._

_Hitomi now stood at the giant oak doors leading inside the castle. She threw a simple punch at the door, and stood frozen in motion. Large cracks made their way across the door from the point of impact, until with a loud crash, the door shattered like a mirror. Though the castle looked quite grand on the outside, the inside was a stark contrast. It was tidy, and the walls sported the same shiny oak finish as the door she just destroyed, but still plain and boring. As she made her way to the top floor, she still encountered more ninjas, although now they attacked hopelessly in groups of four or five. When she reached the 3rd floor, she found herself lost in an ellaborate maze, obviously intended to deter and confuse intruders. She took a moment to adjust the chains which hung around her waist._

"_I'm getting tired of playing their game." She bluntly stated. _

_With that, she floated off the ground, and then boosted left, ploughing through wall after wall. After crashing through the final wall, she found herself outside the castle again. The weather had changed dramatically since entering. Heavy rain now fell upon what remained of the village, and lighning now lit up the night sky, accompanied by the furious echoe of thunder. The remaining survivors had retreated to the top level of the castle to make their last stand, Hitomi was sure of it. However, she would make sure that the element of surprise remained hers. She ascended the height of the castle until she was hovering a fair distance over the roof. She gracefully descended towards the roof, spiraling headfirst as she picked up speed. Like a comet, she collided with the roof, shattering it on impact. Ninjas began to leap out of the way of falling debris as she gently landed. There must've been about twenty left in the room, excluding the young man in white, and the woman in purple. _

_The remaining ninjas gave their last, futile attack. Shurikens began to zip in every direction as the first group closed in. Hitomi fired up the Zweihandler in her left hand, and swung it at the first group, killing them all instantly. The second group wildly swung their swords at her, forcing her to deflect an attack every now and then. She caught one off balance, and drove her knee deep into his stomach, followed by a palm to his face that knocked him several feet in the air. She spun on her left foot, and took out another few behind her with a right roundhouse. Only a handful remained. Hitomi went airborne, and played a game of deadly leapfrog with the scattered few, planting her heels into the top of each ninjas head, before finishing off the last one with a midair summersault that perminately embedded him into a wall. With all the grunts taken care of, all that remained, were the leaders._

"_......Master Hayate, is it?" She asked, locking her fiery red eyes with his steely hazelnut ones._

"_Hitomi?!......No, she adressed me as Ein. You're using her as a puppet, demon!!" He responded angrily._

"_Puppet?!" Hitomi smiled darkly at his gesture. "No, this one is no mere puppet. She is........special."_

_She turned her attention to the woman, who was fixated at the jet black halo which hovered over Hitomi's head. In turn, she noticed a strange object in the womans hand-a handle with two spikes on either end._

"_And what about you, Ayane?" She asked, trying to get her attention. "Do you not hate me for butchering your proud clan in the space of a mere hour?"_

_Her only response was to grit her teeth at her. As she squeezed down on her handle, two glowing purple blades appeared on each end._

"_Wrong. As long as one of us stands, you can never claim a massacre over the Hajin-mon!" He spoke, as he unsheathed two katanas. One from his back, the other from his waist._

"_Hitomi. I'll try to save you from this nightmare." He added solemnly._

"_Save her?!" Hitomi responded before breaking into hysterical laughter. _

_Hayate readied himself into a defensive stance. His eyes focused calmly on Hitomi, preparing for whatever she could throw at him. Ayane on the other hand, stood literally shaking from the unbridled rage she was feeling. _

"_Ayane, we need to draw her to us. Let me engage her in combat, then you can-" Hayate started to whisper._

"_NO! I'm taking this bitch NOW!!!" Ayane roared._

_With that, she ran full pelt at Hitomi, spinning her weapon over her head. She ran in and took a swing which Hitomi effortlessly dodged. Ayane then took more swings at her. She wielded her unique weapon as a small quarterstaff. With every attack, she spun the weapon several times so fast that it looked like she was wielding a disk. Even in her frenzied state, she would still difficult to defend against. Hitomi flipped back to allow herself some distance, which Ayane quickly closed. She took one step back with every dodge of Ayane's weapon, patiently waiting for a chance to counterattack. Suddenly, Hitomi put both her hands out to meet the blade. She blocked both ends in a vertical position, freezing Ayane's momentum. While she was stunned, Hitomi grabbed the hand wielding the blade, her other wrist, and planted a boot to Ayane's stomach, expunging the wind from her. _

"_Your little toy was beginning to annoy me." Hitomi maliciously remarked, as her vice-like grip on Ayane's hand increased._

_Ayane's face contorted with pain as bone after bone popped within her hand. Hitomi let go, forcing Ayane's disfigured hand to drop her weapon. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hayate quickly approaching. Hitomi threw Ayane in his direction, forcing him to sheathe his swords to catch her. _

"_Ayane, how badly are you hurt?" He asked._

"_I....I can't move my hand. I don't think I can use high level ninpo anymore." She faintly spoke, looking up at Hayate._

"_Damn it! Why did you charge in like that?"_

"_Can you blame me? She's killed everyone. Our friends and comrades. All dead. I'm not like you.....master."_

"_Ayane, you must run. Find Ryu. Tell him what happened here." Hayate said calmly, as he gently placed Ayane on her feet. _

"_B-but master, if you fight alone, you'll surely die! I'-I won't let that happen!" Ayane sobbed._

"_Ayane! Don't argue. One of us must survive if our clan is to have any future. And Ryu is probably the only one who can defeat whatever demon has taken control of Hitomi!" Hayate reasoned._

_Ayane looked back up at Hayate. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut short when Hitomi ploughed her elbow into her back, causing her to bounce off the floor several times before landing like a crumpled heap infront of the budha statue. Before Hayate could react, Hitomi grabbed both his arms, holding him in place._

"_Do you really think I'm letting anyone leave here?" She asked, with her face barely inches from his. _

"_If you won't let her leave, then you will have to work for your kill!" Hayate shouted, breaking free of Hitomi's grip._

_He flipped backwards several feet, before drawing his swords out again. This time, Hitomi charged in and attempted to work some hand combos in, but Hayate deflected these with his swords. Sparks flew off of Hitomis gloves, as they repeatedly clashed with Hayate's swords. He broke the deadlock by ramming the back of the left handle into Hitomi's forehead, seemingly stunning her. He reversed the grip on the left sword, attempting to impale her through the chest. Hitomi deflected this to the side however, then blocked the opposite blade swung at her head. She then planted her left boot into his gut, following up with a right summersault kick to his face, sending him airborne. Hitomi took to the air to plant her feet into Hayate's face, but only to find thin air as Hayate used the momentum to position himself head first behind her, before propping himself up on her shoulders by his knees. He again reversed the grip on his swords before raising them over his head, prepared to bury them in Hitomi's face. But froze in mid-motion, the uncertainty in his eyes was as clear as day. Hitomi used his hesitation to land a double axe handle which sent him hurtling off her shoulders. He collided hard into the ground, as splinters shot up from the crater. Hitomi landed gracefully on her feet, while Hayate struggled to his._

"_Why did you hesitate?" She asked._

"_If I kill you, I'll also kill Hitomi. And despite the odds I face, I cannot bring myself to do that to her. She deserves better than that." Hayate solemnly explained._

"_Then you are already dead."_

_Hitomi charged in again, and their bout began to take the same path as the last one. After another deadlock, Hayate took a horizontal swing at her, only to have both swords ripped out of his hands. Hitomi playfully held the swords out infront of her. But her smile dropped as she closed her left fist, effortlessly snapping both blades in half. Hitomi wasted no time in going back on the offensive. She unleashed a left uppercut which Hayate rolled to the right to avoid. She spun around on her left foot, and slammed her right into the ground, forming another crater which forced Hayate to jump backwards. Hitomi closed the gap, and threw various punches and kicks which Hayate dodged. Seeing an opening, he cartwheeled right, bringing both his feet across Hitomis face. He spun around to deliver a right elbow and a left palm to her chest and abdomen in a quick combo. While Hitomi was stunned, he quickly let loose a somersault kick, knocking her airborne. Taking advantage of the situation, Hayate rapidly formed Ninjitsu hand signals. A flaming blue aura appeared around him, burning brighter with each hand signal. Hitomi got her bearings and prepared to land on her feet when Hayate thrusted his right hand a yell, a single lightning bolt shot out at Hitomi in tune with a roar of thunder from the storm. The impact sent Hitomi firing into a wall like a cannon, right next to where she embedded that last ninja earlier. She collapsed against the wall, and looked seemingly finished. Hayate pulled out a single kunai from his belt, and prepared himself for the final blow. _

"_Hitomi......forgive me." He uttered to himself. _

_Like a flash of lightning, he close the distance between himself and Hitomi. He attempted to plunge the kunai into her forehead, but choked on his breath in shock and disbelief as it only felt the iron grip of Hitomi's glove._

"_That........actually hurt alittle." She chuckled._

"_But I'm done entertaining you."_

_With that, she raised her left palm, and released a blast of dark energy, sending him flying all the way back to the budha statue, landing mere inches from where Ayane lay. Hitomi got up and brushed herself off, and then made her way to Hayate to finish him off. Broken and bruised, Hayate again struggled to his feet, panting heavily and coughing up blood. When he finally made it, he stood slouched, while nursing his injuries. It took him every ounce of his strength just to stand now. Yet he glared at her defiantly. _

"_Though difference in our strength is very clear, it wasn't your physical strength that let to this....." Hitomi taunted._

"_It was your compassion and unwillingness to take her life that sealed your fate!"_

"_Any last words?" She asked with a sadistic grin._

"_Yeah......don't get too comfortable in that body........Hitomi won't tolerate your presence in there......for long!"_

_Hitomi's response was to huff before firing up the Zweihandler in her right hand. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around Hayate's waist as Ayane leant in against his back._

"_Ayane?! What are you doing?........You need to run!" Hayate demanded._

"_It's too late for that now." She responded, as she nuzzled the side of her face into Hayate's back._

"_I can barely stand as it is.......And if I could run......I'd be chased down........and I'd die alone."_

"_Ayane...."_

_A single tear rolled down Hayate's cheek as Hitomi got closer and closer. _

"_This the end for us........but I'm glad that I.......can meet it with you.....because I......I...." Ayane trailed off._

"_Oh save it." Hitomi growled as she thrusted the Zweihandler through both their hearts._

_Their faces lit up in pain as Hitomi allowed the Zweihandler to dissipate where it had impaled both of them. They fell backwards in their final embrace. Lightning arced across the sky to confirm the life had completely drained from their eyes. Hitomi looked up at the stormy clouds with a satiated grin on her face. _

"_And to think that I've barely explored the vast potential of her power....."_

_Hitomi allowed herself to fall backwards. She landed sprawled out amidst the destruction and bloodshed. She closed her eyes as she returned to her dormant state......_

Hitomi was released from the throes of her nightmare, along with several piles of ghastly green vomit.

"Wha-what the fuck was that?!" Hitomi gasped, as she starred frightfully at the awful puddles of regurgitation.

"It....It had to be a nightmare.......but then all these bodies....they're real"

"What the hell is happening to me?" She desparately asked herself.

As her mind frantically raced through what had happened, she began to fit the piece together. When she killed Jin, the evil entity that infected him somehow made its way to her, and used her body to massacre the entire Hajin-mon clan. Images of her flashback played over and over again in her mind, reminding her of what she did, and most disturbingly.......felt. She felt the exhilaration of battle. The joy of breaking life in her hands. The extacy of feeding off of another's fears. She felt all of this in her vision. Hitomi's mind tore itself apart, as she screamed endlessly up at the sky. A voice that sounded remarkably like her own rung through her mind.

"_Can you see what you're capable of with my help?"_

Eventually, only one coherent thought remained. The need to leave. She slowly got up, and began to make her way down the castle. She got lost in the maze on the 3rd floor, but found her way when she encountered the holes she made when she tore her way out of the castle. She left through the giant oak doors she broke down on entry, to be introduced to her massacre in all its 'glory'.There was not a square inch of ground the wasn't occupied by a body, and even the shacks themselves were torn down to skeletal husks of themselves. The rusty smell of blood was innescapable, though in her minds current state, Hitomi was in no condition to be taking down details. She silently left the clearing of the village, and dissapeared into the forest.

Hitomi lost track of time whilst walking through the forest. She saw night and day pass over her at least twice, but it never stopped raining. She made no effort to avoid the rain, she felt slightly cleansed in its prescence. But she never stopped moving. Not to sleep, not to take in the beauty of the lush, green forest that surrounded her, not even to catch her breath. All that mattered, was getting as far away as possible from the Hajin-mon village. It didn't matter where she went, or even if she went anywhere. The more distance she gained between her and that place, the less pain she felt. Eventually, she arrived at a clearing overlooking a large city. With her mind a little more stabilised, Hitomi considered getting a room for the night. She rummaged through her pockets for anything that might be useful. She pulled out a small yellow credit card, which looked seemingly undamaged despite the punishment the rest of her clothes had taken. The credit card contained the winnings of the 4th DOA tournament, which she never really spent. It would be more than enough to safely get her a comfortable room. She continued her wandering as the bushes and trees turned to neon-lit streets. Her sight began to blurr slightly, as fatigue from at least three days worth of walking began to take its toll. She eventually arrived at a hotel. It was shaped like a hexagon, at least 50 stories tall, with a sleak, cream exterior.

Hitomi dragged her feet into the reception hall, where she felt the judgemental glare from neatly groomed guests and bellboys. The hall itself was well lit, and had something of a modern western feel to it. Even the furnature was of a contemperary design. She walked up to the concierge desk, and handed her card to the clerk, who was eyeing her with a suspicious look.

"I need a room for the night......I'll take whatever's available." She panted heavily.

The clerk raised an eyebrow, as he took the card and scanned it. His eyes widened when he looked at the amount on the computer. He turned back at Hitomi with that same suspicious look.

"OK, I'll have to see some I.D" he asked politely.

Hitomi felt around in her pockets. There was another small flat object, but too small to be a card of any sort. She sighed at her failure to produce her I.D.

"I'm sorry, but if you don't have I.D, I can't accept this card." He explained.

Suddenly, the phone next to him rang out. He went to pick it up with all the urgency of a teamster.

"Hello, concierge desk.........Yeah, it's on the computer now..........Punch it through?! But she doesn't........Yes, yes of course, sir!........Room 390? Are you?........OK, ok I'm doing it now!"

He turned back to Hitomi with a bewildered look on his face.

"I'm to accept the standard payment for room 390 for a single night." He monotonously spoke.

"Thank you, how much? She responded with a bow.

"3,500 for the night, though I can't see that being a problem here."

"Thanks again."

"31st floor, it should practically look at you when you come out the elevator......Oh yeah. Enjoy your night with us at the Caroselle!" He said, suddenly showing occupational curtesy.

Hitomi found herself an empty elevator. She staggered backwards and softly collided with the wall as the hydraulics hoisted the elevator up. Her head began to feel heavy. She felt like she was floating as the elevator continued its journey up. Fatigue was really beginning to take its toll now. It was tempting to just fall asleep in the elevator right there, but she was lucky to even get past the clerk. She decided it was best not to push it, and so she continued to fight off the need to sleep just a little while longer.

The elevator calmly grinded to a halt, and with an electronic ping, the door slid open, revealing the door to room 319 across the hallway. Hitomi dragged her feet to the door, and swung it open. The room was a loud reminder of a Gemsuite Hotel room in Zack Island. The walls were pearl white, with matching tiles. The bed sheets on the bed, the satin curtains, and the lounge chairs bore satin red. While the upperclass kitchen section gleamed silver, with gold trimmings. But what surprised Hitomi the most, was that she was not the only one in the room.

It was a male figure, completely dressed in gold armour. Its appearance was of a samurai design, yet it looked almost space age, with tiny green lights shining on the pauldrons, gauntlets, chestplate, and boots. He wore a white demonic kabuto mask underneath a light green visor attached to a strange headress.

"who are you?" Hitomi asked, barely able to keep her eyes open.

"I'll explain soon enough, but first, I need you to take this." He spoke with a mechanically augmented voice.

In his right hand, he held a clear green pill. He walked up to hand it to her. In response, Hitomi instinctively took a step back.

"Why should I trust you?"

"I assure you, I mean you know harm. But if you fall asleep, then IT will take over, and everyone in this hotel dies!"

Although ready to collapse, the mans last words alerted her alittle. Though she was too tired to contemplate now, she knew damn well what he meant by 'it'. Hitomi took the pill, and swallowed it. Nothing happened at first, but gradually, the weight from her head lifted, and her vision cleared up again. New energy began to flow through her veins, as she began to feel like her old self again, or at least close enough. Now revitalised, she turned to the strange man in armour.

"Thank you, I feel much better now. What did you give me?" She asked.

"They're called Rejuvenators. They rest and revitalise the body while keeping the mind active." He explained.

"In other words, sleep without sleep."

"Well, thanks again. So who are you?" Hitomi asked.

"I, am Yoshimitsu. Leader of the Manji-Tou clan" He announced himself.

"And you must be Hitomi. Reubens Kaufmann's daughter."

"How do you know that?" Hitomi questioned, feeling a little insecure that he knew her name.

"My knowledge on you is thanks in part of Ryu Hayabusa" He answered.

".......and the internet."

Hitomi thought for a moment. Ryu Hayabusa, the legendary super ninja. The man single handedly overthrew the Vigoor Empire, destroyed the Dark Dragon Blade, sealed off the demonic portal in Mt. Fuji, and was involved with DOATEC's mess behind the tournament. Hitomi only heard of his exploits from her father, but she got the chance to fight him in the 4th tournament. Hitomi tried her best, but her skill and power were clearly dwarfed at the time. She was certain that if Ryu was at the Hajin-mon village, then perhaps the clan could've been saved, and it would have been her that fell instead. Her eyes began to water up, but she shook her head to fight off the grief.

"We know what happened in Munich, and in the Hajin-mon village." Yoshimitsu stated.

She was shocked by the fact that some knew so quickly about what happened. She wanted to asked how he AND Ryu knew, but she decided to ask a more discreet question. She'd believe anything after the past few days.

"We?"

"Yes, that's right. we. Ryu was working with us in India at the time when we were alerted to a huge energy spike in Munich." Yoshimitsu started to explain.

"I could recognise part of the energy signature, but it was Ryu who told me that you made up the other part. We continued to track it, as it left Germany. By the time we figured out where it was going, we were too late. We got to the village to find the damage that was left. By this time however, you had already left, and the Mishima Zaibatsu had a salvage crew at the village. We split up from there. I went to track you down, while Ryu went off to find someone else."

"Mishima Zaibatsu?" Hitomi repeated.

"Don't you watch the news? The Mishima Zaibatsu is a rival super conglomerate to the DOATEC. The ownership has......changed hands several times in the past. At present, it's run by Heihachi Mishima." He finished.

Contemplating what he said, Hitomi wandered over to sit on one of the red loung chairs. Her still damp clothes left a stain where she sat down.

"So then, what does this Heihachi and Mishima Zaibatsu have to do with.....what happened at the village. "Hitomi paused to keep her grief in check.

"Everything. You see, I know what you've got inside of you." He began to explain again.....

"You bear what's called the Devil Gene. A curse of the Mishima bloodline that has been passed down for generations. Though it might skip a few generations, it generally affects most males. The gene itself varies from person, but they share a common purpose. The gene allows the user to draw upon potentially limitless power........at the cost of their soul"

"Well, that's great and all, but I'm not from their bloodline. AND I'm female. So how did I end up with it?" Hitomi anxiously questioned.

Yoshimitsu bowed his head down for a brief moment.

"The mere fact that you bear it now, is proof of how little I really knew about the Devil Gene....." He sighed.

Hitomi shot up from the loughchair, and starred desparately at Yoshimitsu.

"So how do I get rid of this?! How do I return to normal?!" She asked, raising her voice slightly.

Yoshimitsu again paused for thought.

"To find your answer, you will need to compete in the King of Iron Fist Tournament." He answered.

Hitomi jumped back a little. She always thought about competing in that tournament, and even applied at one point. However, her Dad found the application form and ripped it up, claiming that the level of competition was too fierce for her at the time. Eventually, she lost interest in that endeavor, and joined the DOA instead. In any other circumstances, Hitomi would be overjoyed for a chance to compete in a tournament, but more pressing issues were at hand.

"How long do I have to get an invite?" She asked.

"A week, but that's the easy part. I intend to stay out of the tournament to observe from the shadows. I could have an invite sent to you, but......" Yoshimitsu started.

"But what?" Hitomi asked.

"You need to know that once you enter, you'll attract the attention of people who want the Devil Gene for dark purposes, and will do anything to get their hands on it. You cannot afford to drop your guard whilst you're in the tournament."

"People are dead because of me, Yoshimitsu. I can't tell you how heartwrenching that is to have on your conscience. But I don't want anyone else dead because of me......that's why........That's why I'll do whatever it takes to remove this curse!!" She shouted, as tears began to well up in her eyes.

Yoshimitsu folded his arms and took a few steps forward.

"You have a kind sentiment, Hitomi. You would've made a fine Manji-tou...." He commented.

"But, I ask this. If you're prepared to do whatever it takes, would you willingly take the life of someone if there was no other choice?"

Hitomi froze for a moment. She struggled even harder against her grief when she remembered the thoughts and emotions running through her head when she fought Jin.

_Evil lurks within even the most innocent of souls....._

She remembered some the last words Jin said, while he was still under the infuence of the Devil Gene. That time, her mind was not being controlled by any evil entities then. The desire to kill him for revenge, was hers and hers alone, and she drew on some destructive power to do it aswell. Perhaps she had always been a monster.

"Hmm.....I don't expect that you can find your answer right now. But perhaps you will discover it in the tournament." Yoshimitu said, as he chucked a small canister of green pills.

"Take one each night. Remember, it takes over if you fall asleep. You should expect an invite tomorrow morning.

Hitomi looked down at the pills.

"Thank you...."She said as she looked up to find that Yoshimitsu was gone.

Hitomi didn't know why that man decided to help her. She didn't completely trust him, the fact that he knew about what happened didn't really give her much of a choice. Especially considering that he could've just killed her right there while she was under the effects of fatigue.

With nothing else to do, she decided to clean her self up and have a bath. The bathroom looked similar to the rest of the apartment. The cabinets kept the same look as the kitch benches, and the bathtub itself looked big enough to fit several people in it. Hitomi peeled herself out of her wet clothes, and threw them in a heap next to the bath. She turned the tap on, and allowed the bath tub to fill up with hot water. Before she slipped in, she noticed Leifang's polaroid lying next to her jeans. The picture was water-logged, but Hitomi could still make out her perfect, doll-like face. She skin felt prickly as an overbearing tide of grief washed over her. Through all the turmoil, she forgot the one person who was the most important to her. She slipped into the bathtub, with her face now running with tears. She buried her face into her knees, as the sadness she held back finally broke through. She cried uncontrollably over everything. Her father, what she did to the Hajin-mon clan, and most importantly, Leifang.

"I-I CAN NEVER BE WITH HER NOW!!!" She shouted repeatedly through her tears.

Even before all this happened, she was still saddened over hiding her feelings. Before, all she really had to worry about was destroying her friendship. Where as now, she didn't want Leifang to discover what kind of monster she had become. And she was convinced that she was a monster, because it was still her that took Jin's life in the first place. She decided that until she could find a way to remove it, she would keep herself isolated from other people. As far as Leifang was concerned, she would be a pleasant thought to keep her from going insane. Having cried all her tears, Hitomi laid back in the bathtub, gazing up at the ceiling with her tear streaked face.

Tonight was going to be a long night......

Writer's Notes: Phew! Finally done! I'm sorry it took me longer than expected, but it's probably better to take longer on a well thought out chapter, rather than quickly pumping out crap that breaks people's interests. As far as the flashback's concerned, I first wanted to do just snipets of the flashback, but I felt it would have more weight if I made Hitomi live the entire thing to experience what she sees and feels while the Devil Gene takes over. It was definitely longer than I expected but without it, this chapter would have no weight.

So, it's the second chapter, we have Hayate and Ayane dead, and yet minimal HitomiXLeifang fluff. WTF kinda shoujoai is this?!? Don't worry, there'll be a lot more fluff in the next chapter. Speaking of which.

NEXT CHAPTER: The opening ceremony of the King of Iron Fist Tournament. Hitomi meets some new faces, as well as some familiar ones. And higher powers begin to focus their sights on her.

OK, same drill as usual. I need roughly another fortnight for the next chapter. And keep the reviews coming. The more interest show here, the more motivation I'll have to continue.

Final Disclaimer Notice: Dead or Alive and all characters are owned by Tecmo(or Team Ninja). Tekken and all characters are owned by Namco. (Hey, has anyone here gotten a lawsuit for forgetting disclaimers?)


	3. Chapter 3

OK, so I'm back. Sorry if the update was later than planned, but uh.........SFIV, nuff said. Well, if there's one thing I've learnt from the lack of interest in my story, it's that a good idea means squat if there's no fluff in a HitomixLeifang fic. So, without giving too much away, I hopefully plan to fix that in this chapter. It's just that this is my first attempt at this sort of fanfiction, so I don't want to go too deep with it just yet. Please, bear with me here. I can turn this around!

Disclaimers: DOA and all affiliated characters are owned by TECMO(or Team Ninja). Tekken and all affiliated characters are owned by Namco.

The Fallen Phoenix

CHPTR 3: Reunion

THE KING OF IRON FIST TOURNAMENT! ENTER, THE TEKKEN!!!!!!

Some god awful techno music followed the voice over, echoeing through the city streets that were strangely devoid of vehicles. Hitomi stood infront of a blocked off road guarded by black armour clad soldiers totting assault rifles. Their shoulder pads bore the Mishima Zaibatsu's official logo. The Zaibatsu insisted on personally overseeing it's own security for its tournament, and they had a bunch of city blocks closed off for the job. The local police, simply accepted this, and didn't interfere.

It had been a full week since her chance meeting with the enigmatic ninja, Yoshimitsu, and sure enough, he made good on his promise to deliver the tournament invitation. She used the days between to replenish her clothing collection, and simply wandering the streets to collect her thoughts. She would never stay at the same hotel twice, and would spent her sleepless nights gazing at the ceiling, whilst under the effects of the rejuvenator pills Yoshimitsu gave her. A whole week to get her head straightened, and on the outside, she looked perfectly normal. But on the inside, her mind was in a state of constant flux. All sorts of thoughts and feelings ran amok unchecked through her head, playing havoc with her sanity behind the scenes. Confusion, would be the best way to describe it.

She was confused by the curse she had inside of her known as the Devil Gene. Aside from its name, and the destruction it caused while she slept, she had no idea what it was or how she got it. She was confused over Yoshimitsu's intent. He gave her an invitation to the tournament and some info on what was inside of her, when anyone else in his position probably would've killed her right there, nipping the problem in the bud. And at the same time, there was the lack of information she had. She was sent here without any clues on who or what she was looking for. It was like Yoshimitsu had given her a riddle to solve. This frustrated her a bit, since she simply wanted to get rid of her curse, and return to some form of normality in her life.

And even then, she was unsure if she would ever be 'normal' again. Even if she succeeded in removing the Devil Gene, things still couldn't go back to the way they were. Her father was dead, and any other family members had either passed on, or cut ties with her father long ago. Her high school friends had moved on aswell, which meant that she'd be pretty much alone in her future. And the pain of loneliness brought memories of Leifang to the front of her mind. During the week, Hitomi promised herself that if she managed to overcome the Devil Gene, she would find Leifang and tell her how she felt. She wasn't confident on the outcome, but she learnt first hand that there are far worse things to suffer than a bit of rejection.

Today, she wore a red sleaveless turtle neck, a black short skirt with a loose fitting white belt, and black knee high boots. It was enough to turn heads, yet not too much that it attracted looks of disgust. Sexy, but tidy, even despite the heavy suitcases she was carrying. She casually walked up to one of the soldiers at the road block. She showed him the ticket, and let her through. She walked through the road which was teeming with activity. Infront of the regular shops, there were all manner of tents, stands selling all kinds of things. Food, souveneirs, clothing, electronics and almost anything else. It was like she walked into a temporary mini-mall. Her destination was at the end of the road. A giant stadium. From where she was looking, it looked like any other doughnut shaped stadium. But the road she had to walk seemed to go on for ever. She continued to make her way through the busy crowd.

As she neared the stadium, she could see the sheer size of it. The height practically dwarfed the hotel she stayed in the first night she arrived at the city. She must have really been spaced out to not have noticed it all week. The stadium was mainly coloured steel grey, and was embedded with several large titantrons displaying promos for the tournament. Hitomi left the tempory mini mall, and walked through a large clearing. There were a lot more soldiers patrolling the stadium, and there were even armoured cars and APC's placed here and there. The way they deployed their forces made it look like they owned the city. Hitomi was surprised to see that there was nobody queing up at the main entrance.

"Halt! We're not letting anyone near the front entrance until 3PM!" One of the soldiers warned.

The other five raised their weapons at Hitomi.

"Wait! I'm competing in the tournament!" She nervously explained.

She quickly dropped her suitcases to pull her invite out of her left pocket. After pulling it out, she carefully handed it to the soldier who shouted at her. He stood for a moment to analyse it.

"Right, check off Hitomi Kaufmann." He ordered to his squad.

"Is that everyone sir?" One of the soldiers responded.

"Nah, we're still waiting on two more. You two! Take her bags!" He commanded, as two more soldiers approached her.

"Wait! What about my bags?" She protested, gripping the handles a bit tighter.

"What? Didn't you read the invite? We're providing accommodation to the competitors during the tournament. Your bags will be taken to your room, but you will not receive your key until after the opening ceremony."

"Oops, Sorry."

"Whatever. Escort Ms. Kaufmann to the holding area" He said, looking at another soldier.

"Oh, yes sir. This way ma'am." The other soldier said, signalling Hitomi to follow him.

Hitomi followed the soldier through the entrance and down a maze of identical corridors. They'd been walking for what seemed like forever, when they stopped at a pair of double doors.

"OK, the holding area's just beyond these doors. Just one rule. No starting fights. You do, and you're out of the tournament. Got it?"

"Yes, of course." Hitomi answered quietly.

"Good. Oh, and uh, good luck in the tournament."

Hitomi barely acknowledged the soldier as she walked through the doors. It was a fairly large room, furnished with black leather couches surrounding a table filled with various refreshments and snacks. Inside, there were fighters of all shapes and sizes. She spotted some brooding on their own, but for the most part, they conversed in their groups. Nobody even noticed Hitomi enter the room, which worked out well, since she didn't really want any attention than necessary. She found an unoccupied lounge, and flopped into it. Normally, she would've rushed to introduce herself to everyone, whether they liked it or not. Though it was merely a week ago, it seemed like forever since she'd been excited to meet new people, friend or not. But now, her past self seemed more like the memory of a distant friend she couldn't remember the name of. She attempted to let herself sink into her thoughts again, when she was distracted by a male voice with a british accent.

"Hey there darling, fancy some company?" He said.

She looked up to see a skinny built man looking down at her. He had slicked back blonde hair, and a smile that could easy pass him as a nightclub sleazebag. He wore a loosely buttoned white collar shirt with a coat of arms on the pocket, and bright red pants. Hitomi instantly shot him a hostile glare.

"If you're here to flirt with me, then leave me alone. I'm not in the mood." She spoke sharply.

"Wh-Whoa! No need to be like that! I was only trying to be friendly luv, honest!" He defensively spoke back, throwing his hands up in the air.

"You can tell me to piss off if you want, but I just thought you looked a bit lonely there." He explained.

"I'm not the only one sitting by themselves" Hitomi snapped.

"True, but you don't look as scary as they do. Look seriously, if you want your space, I can be on my way."

Hitomi sighed deeply. She'd been hit on by men countless times in her lifetime, and even had to teach a painful lesson to those who didn't understand no. But she was never snappy or rude to any of them back then. And yet she bit this man's head off, who's intentions might have been simply been friendly. Yet another reminder that she'd changed for the worse. To save grace, she had to do the right thing.

"I'm sorry for snapping like that. I'm just.......a little worked up at the moment. I'm Hitomi Kaufmann." She said with a half-hearted smile.

"Steve Fox" He replied, extending his hand out, which Hitomi shook briefly.

"Kaufmann you say? Hmmm......That name sounds familiar." Steve said, scratching his head.

"Well, you should. She's the daughter of Reubens Kaufmann. One of the most well known Karate Masters in the world." A second male voice spoke out of nowhere.

Hitomi looked around to see an asian man with long black hair tied up in a pony tail. He looked fairly aged, perhaps thirty five. His facial features were gentle and caring, with eyes that made you feel like you could trust him with anything. He wore traditional kung-fu attire, with a blue top and black pants, both ornately decorated with dragons.

"Oh yeah, Marduk got to the last of those nachoes you like. Sorry." He smiled at Steve.

In response, he starred slackjawed at a large, bold muscular man having his way with the snack table.

"It's nice to finally meet you Hitomi, I'm Lei Wulong" He turned back to greet her with a hand extended.

"Lei......" Hitomi spoke sadly as she shook his hand.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Sorry.......It's just that there was someone very dear to me with that family name" She said, fighting off the urge to cry.

"Oh, I didn't know. Sorry." Lei Wulong apologised.

"Oi, lighten up luv, just call him Berry, like I do." Steve chirped up, now over his initial shock of the snack table being mauled.

In response, Lei sighed with a facepalm.

"Berry?" Hitomi asked with a confused expression on her face.

"Where I come from, we call policemen Berries, coz of the helmets they wear. Mr. Wulong here, is a D.T over in Hong Kong!" Steve explained.

"I see...... It seems a little rude for me to use a nickname for someone I've already met." Hitomi pondered outloud.

"Don't worry about it. Berry is fine." Lei reassured, with a look of regret on his face.

"Uhhh......OK......Berry." Hitomi struggled to say out of embarrasment.

Hitomi had intended to simply be alone whilst she was here, yet she found herself actually enjoying the company of these two men. Their genuine nature numbed the terrible thoughts in her head. She dove back into her mind to pick up a suitable conversation topic. She noted that Lei Wulong knew her father, but didn't really want to bring it up for fear of telling them what happened to him. She decided on an easy topic.

"So, uhhh......What fighting styles do you guys practise?"

"Oh, I practise quite a few." Lei answered. "Tiger, Snake, Phoenix, Dragon, Panther, and a bit of Drunken Master aswell!"

"Oh, so which one's your favorite?" She asked eagerly.

"All of them." He exlaimed.

"All?" Hitomi repeated.

"Yes. My technique of fighting encorporates all six styles. Each one is like a brick to a well-built fortress......" Lei started.

In the DOA, Hitomi encountered several fighters using chinese martial arts styles. However, all of them used just a single style. She had watched a few of Lei Wulong's fights way back before entering the 3rd DOA tournament. She noticed that he could overwhelm his opponent with one style, then completely switch to another should they learn how to deal with one. In one fight, she watched him change through all six styles in the space of a minute, clearly dominating his bewildered opponent. She was strong, but she learnt first hand that strength didn't always win fights-natural strength that is. She had to take into consideration her 'other' strength aswell.

"But, it's not unbeatable. Your father taught me that." He finished.

"You fought my father?" Hitomi lit up.

"Yes, I fought him at a local tournament way back. His technique was straightforward, but his power.......was unbelievable. I'll never forget that fight. How is he by the way?"

Hitomi's attitude plummeted when he asked that question. The memories of him dying right infront of her forced their way back up. Her gut wrenched as she fought hard to hold her tears back.

"Dead." She said quietly.

"W-WHAT?!? That's impossible! How?!" Steve questioned, breaking into the conversation.

Lei shot him a glare that he immediately caught. Understanding the unspoken words in his eyes, Steve dropped his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry luv, I didn't mean to pry, honest. I just find it hard to believe, is all" Steve apologised.

Hitomi gave a half-hearted smile in re-assurance.

"I'm sorry, it's just a sensitive issue at the moment. So what fighting style do you use?" Hitomi said, eager to change the subject.

"Me? No fancy tricks here luv. Just some straight-up queensbury!" He gloated, throwing a few fake punches in the air.

"Boxing, then." She allowed herself a slight giggle at his gesture.

It was the first time in what seemed like forever

"Oh yes, but don't underestimate him. What he lacks in technique, he more than makes up for in outstanding speed. This one boxing match I went to, Steve hit his opponent 10 times in the head before he even raised his fist! The fight end pretty quickly after that." Lei proudly stated.

"Alot of my fights ended that way.........I just wish it was something to be proud of." His face took a more serious outlook when his spoke this time.

"What do you mean?" Hitomi asked.

"Listen luv, I don't mean to be a prick, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't brooch that, yeah? You've got your secrets, and I've got mine. So let's just leave it at that." Steve politely warned.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Look, don't worry about it luv. I might actually tell you some other time." He said, seemingly unaffected by Hitomi's prying on sensitive issues.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence, the group simply looked at each other, waiting for the next person to speak. Suddenly, Lei noticed that Marduk had left the snack table, and to his surprise, still with food on it.

"Hey Steve, looks like Mr. Marduk's had enough. The snack table's free again." Lei spoke up, breaking the silence.

"About bloody time! Listen Hitomi, you should grab some grub before the opening ceremony starts. You look like you could do with a decent feed." Steve said, signalling her to follow.

She started to follow them, when she heard a voice in her head call her name. The voice sounded identical to Leifangs voice. She wanted to think about her while she was alone, not in a crowded room. She fought off the voice in her head, and kept walking. The voice called out again, this time, louder and more distinctively, in her left ear. Hitomi froze in her tracks. This time, she was unsure if the voice was really in her head. She turned around slowly in the direction of the voice, and her consciousness practically jumped out of her body when she saw who it was.

Leifang. Standing over the otherside of the room. Dressed in a sleeveless red chinese dress, parted to the hip on each side. She wore her silky black hair in her traditional ornate double plats. Her shiny hazelnut eyes scorched into Hitomi's eyes as the ambience in the rest of the room became mute. She was frozen in her place at the angel that stood in front of her. A myriad of thoughts and possibilities ran through her head. Perhaps she was dreaming. Perhaps her mind had finally gave into madness and broken the lines separating the boundaries between dreams and reality. She just couldn't comprehend that the one she loved the most, was standing in the same room as her. Leifang smiled sweetly at her, and all her thoughts were instantly fizzled to the point where she could only utter one word.

"Lei......"

Now, pure emotion took over her body, as it forced itself into run towards Leifang's open arms. Hitomi launched herself at Leifang. She caught her and practically held her in mid air as their arms embraced each other in a tight hug. The Devil Gene, her father, the Hajin-mon clan. All those worries seemed to dissipate in Leifang's arms. Nothing else mattered but her warmth and scent. They eventually held each other at arms length as Hitomi brought her head up to look at Leifang.

"How.......I mean.......are you real.......i-is this a dream?!" She attempted to say.

In response, Leifang moved her left hand around her ear and promptly flicked it.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"Then you're not dreaming." Leifang said in a smug tone.

"Oh......well, umm........I'm not sure what to say." Hitomi stuttered, admittedly lost for words.

"Try 'I missed you'." Leifang replied.

"Oh, that works. I missed you too." Hitomi said, with her face now turning a shade of pink.

For a short moment, Hitomi gazed into Leifang's eyes, fighting off every urge to kiss her right there. Her trance was broken abruptly when Steve tapped her on the shoulder, with Lei Wulong following behind.

"Oi then. Wanna introduce us to your friend there luv?" Steve spoke with a playful tone.

"Oh, sorry." Hitomi laughed as she took her hands off Leifang to face Steve.

"Lei, this is Steve Fox. He's a boxer from England."

"Evening luv." Steve greeted with the traditional handshake.

"And this is-"

"Detective." Leifang coldly cut her off, as she narrowed her eyes at Lei Wulong.

The tension could be cut with a knife with the way they were looking at each other. Both Hitomi and Steve risked glances at each of them before looking at each other with puzzled looks on their faces.

"Leifang. I see you are well." He spoke back blankly.

"And you too." Leifang replied, looking for a quick end to the conversation.

Though their words were civilised, the atmosphere spoke loudly with the acidic tone of 'everything is just fine'.

"How are your parents?" Wulong asked.

"They're fine. Thanks for asking."

"Your parents are especially kind people. Most probably wouldn't have paid the bail so quickly for what you did." He smiled.

Leifang went deathly silent, and Hitomi noticed. By the way she was looking at him, she had done something bad between now and the last time they parted at Zack Island. And Lei Wulong knew about it.

"Uhh, what did she do?" Hitomi asked with a bit of uncertainty.

"Wait! You mean this is her?!" Steve added, obviously with more knowledge than Hitomi.

"Oh yes. Hitomi, your friend here, started a large bar brawl whilst under the influence of alcohol about two months ago." Wulong started, sounding like a professional policeman.

Hitomi gave a raised eyebrow look at Leifang, who's facial expression looked merged between embarrasment, fear, and anger. Although calm most of the time, she knew that Leifang could get fiery if pushed far enough. Yet the idea of her starting a drunken barfight was incomprehendable.

"About fourty patrons were seriously injured in that fight. We had policemen in full riot gear hesitant about going in there. And even teargas didn't calm her down. Eventually, I managed to subjue her, but the damages done to both people and property.......were in the millions." He finished.

"Oh god.....Leifang" Hitomi sighed, shaking her head in disbelief.

Hitomi's reaction set something off in Leifang. Now she was gritting her teeth with an eyebrow twitch. Her eyes focused on Lei Wulong, not even taking a moment to blink. Wulong, on the other hand, looked back apatheticly.

"You......are a real asshole, you know that?" Leifang growled between her teeth.

"I had a job to do, and I did it." He blankly replied.

"Maybe........but you prick! You had tell tell her, didn't you!" Leifang raised her voice angrily, enough to turn several heads her direction.

Leifang paced a few steps towards Wulong, who still maintained his neutral posture. Hitomi was baffled both by Wulong's statement, and Leifang's angry response. It troubled her knowing that Leifang started a barfight. It was obvious that something was eating away at her, not only because unprovoked barfights were out of character for her, but also because it normally took a lot to get Leifang angry. Yet Wulong only needed a few minutes. She wasn't sure what kind of history they had with each other, but his words hurt Leifang somehow, and that lowered her opinion of him greatly. One thing was for sure though, she needed to act now before Leifang did something she'd regret. Hitomi moved infront of Leifang to catch her in her arms. She squirmed and struggled at first, but eventually went limp in Hitomi's arms.

"H-Hitomi. I'm so sorry...... But I've just been so stressed lately, and.....and" Leifang sobbed in her shoulder.

"Shhh......calm down. It's OK." Hitomi said gently in her ear.

"So......you're not angry?"

"A bit confused maybe, but not angry."

Hitomi pivoted them to the side so she could shoot an annoyed glance at Wulong. Still, he kept his cool posture.

"I'm still not sure what all of this was about, but you embarrassed her there. What are you trying to do?" Hitomi questioned.

"You're not angry with her, are you?" He replied.

"No, of course not. But what is this about?!" Hitomi asked again, raising her voice slightly.

"I already knew that she was entering the tournament, but when I saw that you two were close friends, I had an opportunity to test her patience and resolve. It was nothing personal." He started.

"So this was just mind games then?"

"I suppose, if you put it that way. I must admit that I'm a bit dissapointed in the results. The essence of Tai Chi is focus, patience, and tranquillity-especially in a fight. I thought you knew this, yet you were quick to anger when I brought up that barfight. In fact that incident seems to contradict everything I've heard about you. I hope for your sake you don't take that attitude into the tournament, because it won't end well if you do." Wulong directed his lecture at Leifang, before walking back to the snack bar.

She stayed silent throughout the entire speech, keeping her sobbing face embedded in Hitomi's shoulder. She couldn't help but be annoyed at Wulong for upsetting Leifang like that, yet she wasn't completely annoyed, since she remembered Leifang saying something similar about her fighting style during the first trip to Zack Island. Wulong sounded more like a teacher lecturing his student rather than someone trying to kill his opponent's morale with insults. She couldn't entirely agree on what he said though. Her style didn't exactly include any tranquility, yet it was enough to beat Leifang herself. And she was certainly calm during that fight. She secretly hoped to fight Wulong in the tournament, simply to prove him wrong. She looked over at Steve, who was gawking like a lost idiot looking for something to say.

"Listen luv, Berry's got some weird ways of dealing with people, especially when it comes to potential tournament fights, but he's a good bloke. Honest." He explained.

"I'll talk to him personally if I get a chance. Now if you'll excuse me....." Hitomi replied.

"Oh, right." He said, before leaving to find Wulong.

She turned back towards Leifang, who had lifted head from her shoulder. It had become slightly tear streaked, yet still retained that radiance Hitomi loved about it.

Now, are you OK." She asked, once more holding her at arms length.

"Yeah.....I think so. And thanks." Leifang answered quietly.

"It's fine, but we're gonna have a talk about this later. I get the feeling that something's really bothering you."

"There's a lot a need to talk about too. So thanks"

Hitomi was more than happy to help Leifang through her problems. Not only because it would help ease her own burdens, but because she wanted to make Leifang happy. She may not be able to have her, but just knowing that she was happy and untroubled would help her feel just that little bit closer. Just then, Hitomi noticed another familiar face discreetly enter the room. A female dressed incomspiciously in a sleaveless crimson ninja garb. The only distinguishing features being a matching coloured scarf that flowed down to her waist. She had long, silky ginger hair done in a high topknot. She kept her head down as she walked, with her fringe almost hiding her doll-like face.

At first, Hitomi was overjoyed that Kasumi was still alive and unharmed.

"Hey! Kasumi!" Hitomi shouted, with a wave.

Leifang joined in too, but Kasumi ignored her, and briefly looked up at Hitomi. The eyelock they shared seemed to stop time momentarily.

All the weight of her burdens that had been lifted by seeing Leifang again, were slammed back onto her ten fold. The look in Kasumi's eyes spoke in volumes of anger, hatred, malice and vengeance. Things that Hitomi thought she wasn't even capable of. She heard Leifang call out to her again, though it sounded more like an echoe in her ears. She didn't need to guess why Kasumi would look at her that way, for the unspoken message was crystal clear.

_I know what you did, and you will pay._

Flashbacks of the Hajin-mon village played violently before her. She was reminded why she was here, and why she promised to stay away from Leifang. The Devil Gene had made her a monster. The blood rushed to her head as she felt her legs give out underneath her. She fell backwards to be gently caught by Leifang.

"I gotcha!" she said reassuringly.

Leifang gently helped Hitomi up, watched Kasumi make her way to the otherside of the room to become another brooding solitary figure.

"OK, what was THAT about?" Leifang asked.

"I have no idea." Hitomi smiled back, feigning ignorance.

Leifang gave Hitomi a puzzled look, unsure of whether or not she believe Hitomi. This made a chill run up Hitomi's spine. Though she was happy to see Leifang again, her presence made keeping her secret difficult. Now that Kasumi was here too, it became frightfully clear that there was a good chance of Leifang finding out what her secret is. Though the possibility was unbearable, she couldn't help but foresee Leifang's reaction. Steve, noticing the commotion, ran towards Leifang and Hitomi.

"What the hell happened? Are you alright?" He asked frantically.

"She just collapsed. I think." Leifang said in an indecisive tone.

"I'm OK now." Hitomi added.

"You don't look OK luv. You're as pale as a ghost. Look, lemme grab you some grub from the snack table, yeah?"

"Really, I'm fine!" Hitomi reassured.

They were interrupted by another set of double doors opening at the far end of the room. The crowd of fighters focused on a small group of officials wearing black shirts and pants standing around the door.

"Can I have your attention please?" One of them spoke. "We are about to begin the opening ceremony. If you would like to follow us, we'll run down how it's gonna work."

And with that, the fighters slowly began to shuffle towards the exit. Steve joined Wulong again as they watched Hitomi and Leifang follow the group, staying fairly close to each other.

"That woman that starred at Hitomi before she collapsed, What do you make of it?" He asked.

"For now, that's not important to us. We've got our own mission to acomplish at this tournament." He answered strictly.

"Too right mate, but still.....something didn't seem right there......He trailed off before moving to join the others.

"Oh, one more thing. If those two are mates, then why did that Leifang bird react so violently to you mentioning that bar brawl?"

"Steve, you really are a dumbass." Was his only reply.

Writer's notes: Well, that's another one taken care of. I was hoping to fit more in, but I had to cut it there in order to keep the word count reasonable. In anycase, I added some proper fluff in there, so that should bring some readers back. Some of you might question me putting Steve Fox and Lei Wulong in my story. My decision for doing it was simply because it's something nobody would expect.

**NOTE TO ALL AYANE FANS:** While I apologise for killing her off in the second chapter, it was unfortunately nessecary, since that event will set the tone of Kasumi's character. That in itself is something different I'm trying with this story. All she lived for in DOA was to find her brother, reconcile with him and Ayane and seek out forgiveness for desserting her clan. But what if they were all killed? What would her mindset be like then? Expect to see a very different Kasumi if you wish to continue reading.

I may be a bit longer with the next chapter, since SFIV and RE5 are hot right now.

NEXT CHAPTER: Leifang reveals what pushed her to start a drunken bar brawl, while the DOATEC watches the tournament from a distance

Final Disclaimer Notice: Dead or Alive and all characters are owned by Tecmo(or Team Ninja). Tekken and all characters are owned by Namco.


	4. Chapter 4

Right, so chapter four then. Well, hopefully, I've redeemed myself about after killing Ayane off. Sorry I've left this update so late, but i've discovered how to use photoshop properly, and I think I've grown an unhealthy addiction for it. …...I should just get started.

The Fallen Phoenix

CHPTR 4: The Opening ceremony

Whilst the opening ceremony was going through final preparations, a few figures watch on from an extravagant VIP booth overlooking the arena.

A european woman, dressed in tight fitting blue pants, and a neatly groomed whit flannel top, looks down blankly at the elaborate setup in the centre of the stadium. The ring itself was casted in a perfect square, at least twice a big as a regular boxing ring. The only difference being the absence of ropes or turn buckles. The ring was connected to an illuminated ramp leading to a large stage with smaller ramps leaving each side of the arena. The entrance gate was large enough to fit an suv through, and was lit with with plain white spot lights. An enormous titantron loomed behind the entrance gate, on of four placed at opposite side of each other at the highest points of the arena. The seats in the stands were now packed, as fighter jets whooshed over the arena, signaling the official start of the opening ceremony.

Turning away from the window, she went back to take a seat infront her laptop. She brushed her fingers through her long blonde pony tail, as her sparkling sapphire eyes scanned through some documents regarding the fighters participating in the tournament. She had done this several times over the course of the day. Everything seemed to check out, save for one factor that seemed out of place. For all she knew, it could've been a typing error, yet she felt compelled to look it over again, and again.

"Helena." A female voice called out, breaking her concentration.

Helena looked up at the woman next to her. With short snow white hair, she was of the same curvey, yet slender build as Helena. She was dressed in a black business outfit, complete with a black tie. Normally, dressing like that would be considered cross-dressing for a lady, yet she somehow made it look feminine and almost sexy in a way. Her most distinguishing feature were her steely eyes, which could shred one's soul into ribbons without even trying.

Christie. The woman who filled the roles of Helena's servant, bodyguard, assassin, rival, nemesis, and now best friend in the space of merely a few years. It was Christie, who murdered Helena's mother, at the request of Victor Donovan, another of Helena's enemies. Helena vowed revenge against her mother's murderer, and when Christie revealed herself at the Tri-Tower, the two of them fought a close fought, and bloody battle. The hatred the two of them felt for each other made the fight last a lifetime, until Christie was forced to withdraw, giving Helena time to self-destruct the Tri-Tower.

The next time they met, was at Zack Island, where they came to a mutual understanding. Despite the animosity and resentment Helena felt for her, Christie was at the same time, the one of only three people she trusted intimately. Helena came to the conclusion that even if she were to kill Christie, it would not put her mother's soul to rest, and certainly not hers. And with Donovan now perminately imprisoned, both Helena and Christie had no reason to fight. They reconciled and agreed to start again with a clean slate. From that point, Christie had been working with Helena as DOATEC's right hand.

"Oh, sorry. I was just going over the fighters stats that Heihachi sent me again." She said sheepishly.

"Seriously, you've been reading into that too much. You know that the tournament is merely a background venue for the two of you to talk mergers with." She lectured.

She was right, Heihachi had simply intended the tournament as entertainment whilst they discussed a possible financial merger between the DOATEC and the Mishima Zaibatsu, in order to save her company from bankruptcy. The aura Helena picked up from his personality suggested that he'd betray her the first chance he got. However, since Heihachi came to her with a business proposal in a time when other companies were quick to cut their ties with her, it left her with little choice. Her mind should be focused on the merger, yet a nagging piece of it clung to dear life on the anomoly in those stats.

"OK, you wanna talk tournament? Fine, but you really need to focus on what's important here." Christie sighed, vacating her seat to peer over Helena's shoulder at her laptop.

"So, who's the strongest according to the figures then?" Christie asked.

"You mean out of their usual competitors, or overall?" Helena responded, still fixated to her laptop.

"Uhhh... Sorry, I don't follow The King of Iron Fist Tournament."

"OK, would it interest you to know that three fighters from our tournament are competing here?" Helena quized as she glanced over her shoulder.

"What?!" came the response from Christie, whose interest had suddenly been perked.

"Damn. Now I wish I was competing, so who are they?" She asked, now with a hint of geniune interest in her voice.

"Leifang, Kasumi and Hitomi."

"That's odd. I'd expect that Hayabusa to be competing for sure. Or even Hayate."

"Those two have the luxury of choosing not to get involved with the Zaibatsu." Helena sighed.

Christie immediately picked up on Helena's discomfort of dealing with Heihachi, and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"Helena......I know this Heihachi looks like a two-faced Donovan wannabe, but you know that there's no other way to save the company. And if he crosses that line, then he will feel the bite of this viper's fangs." Christie spoke in a dark, yet reassuring tone in Helena's ear.

"Thank you. I fear that it may come to that." Helena replied, placing her hand over Christie's.

"Well, anyhow. As far as the tournament is concerned, Kasumi's got it in the bag. No question." Christie said, changing the subject.

"I thought you knew better than to judge a fighter by physical attributes. Besides, if these readings are correct....." Helena trailed off as she turned back towards her laptop.

"Hitomi has somehow become a lot more powerful than Kasumi." She finished, tilting her head to the side to give Christie a better look.

In response, Christie sighed and shook her head. She knew that Helena was prone to over analysing small details. A trait that in Christie's view, prevents her from seeing the bigger picture. But even she couldn't hide her dissapointment over Helena falling to smaller details, when the stakes required her to see that bigger picture more than ever.

"So, you've been set off by......a typing error?" Christie asked in a lecturing tone.

"I know how this looks, but I know something's not right here."

"OK then, enlighten me." Christie remarked with an eyeroll.

"A few days ago, when we went to see Heihachi. Kasumi was there, as his bodyguard."

"So?"

"So?! Does that fact alone not strike you as being odd, knowing Kasumi as the type of person she is?" Helena raised her voice slightly to look at Christie.

"Not really. I figured it's a smart move by Kasumi, since she's still being pursued by her own clan. And assuming they're still recovering from their attack on the tri-tower, then they'd think twice about hitting the Zaibatsu just to fulfill some decree of honour." Christie replied, covertly mocking the Hajin-mon's principals.

"And I'd expect you to say something like that. The Kasumi I know would scoff at the idea of working with someone like Heihachi. And there's something else. The way she looks at you now.... There's so much malevolence in her eyes. Something I didn't think she was capable of." Helena spoke sadly.

"True, she does look a little more.....hardened. But what's that got to do with Hitomi's stats?" Christie asked.

"Who knows......maybe nothing......but still-"

"That's right! It's completely unrelated! And this isn't even important! What is important, is you keeping focus on the bigger picture, and making sure you don't get fucked over in this merger." Christie lectured.

Helena gave a half-hearted nod in response.

"Even more important than that, is what to do with her." Christie said, directing her thumb over to a young girl over at the snack bar.

She was a cream skinned, lithe figure with long flowing ebony hair. Her facial features were innocent, almost doll-like, all the way up to her chestnut eyes. She wore a cute outfit consisting of a denim miniskirt, pearl white high heel boots, and a strapless black top striped pattern of silk fabric wrapped around her shoulders. It was held in place by a saphirre blue heart. On the bar infront of her, stood dozens of empty wine glasses.

"Kokoro, how many glasses of wine have you drank?" Helena asked.

"Ummm.....twenty, but honestly, this shit is soft compared to saki." The girl replied in contrast to her innocent appearance.

"?!? Kokoro! That's no way for a lady to speak!" Helena gasped.

"Sounds like someone's in for a good bedtime story." Christie smiled, as she strolled back to her chair.

"Uhh.....Christie?!" Helena scrambled as her cheeks turned bright red.

Helena met Kokoro during the 4th DOA tournament. At the time, Kokoro's goal was simply to test her skills in combat-against her mother's wish, since she wanted her to pursue the path of a geisha. The time they fought was infact the second time they met. Helena remembered Kokoro from a time when their mothers were friends. Though Helena easily defeated Kokoro, she explained that she knew her mother from when they were children. Out of curiosity, Kokoro decided to take the invitation to Zack Island without her mother's knowledge to find out more about Helena. Over the course of the two week holiday, Helena and Kokoro grew intimately close to each other, and eventually fell in love. Not long after the vacation, Helena decided to raise Kokoro to be a potential heir to the DOATEC, should something ever happen to her. Her mother, out of knowing the type of character Helena's mother was, reluctantly agreed. Kokoro had been at Helena's side ever since, being the second person that Helena trusted fully.

Upon hearing the words 'bedtime story' Kokoro gleefully jumped up, and bounced over to Helena's lap where she rested the side of her head on Helena's shoulder.

"You gonna tell me a bedtime story tonight? I can't wait!" Kokoro spoke loudly into Helena's ear.

"Coz, as it happens, I've got one I wanna tell you..." She dropped her tone to gently brush her lips against Helena's neck.

Helena gasped as Kokoro's warm breath brought forth goosebumps on her neck. Her nerves screamed out in excitement, her decision to arrange a separate booth for the board of directors showed its advantage. Helena risked a glance at Christie, who seemed to be holding back her laughter for dear life. Kokoro, not wishing to be forgotten, pressed her lips harder against Helena's neck, and now added her tounge to the mix. Helena needed to get control of the situation. With her free hand, she clenched Kokoro's chin to force her eyes up at Helena's.

"Behave yourself, please!" She gritted through her teeth quietly.

Helena hated using harsh words against Kokoro, and whenever those times came, she was always lost for words. Luckily enough, such things would pass through Kokoro whilst she was under the infuence. She still hoped they found some mark though. As much as Helena was happy for her to continue, here and now, and especially infront of Christie, just felt wrong. In response to her scalding, Kokoro simply gave a dopey grin.

"OK, I'll behave. For now." Kokoro said quietly, as she rested her head on Helena's shoulder once more.

Christie, unable to hold back her laughter, let loose a mishievious giggle. Helena, without any clever retorts, simply starred helpless while her friend was being consumed with laughter.

"Oh god, Seriously! If her mother knew of half the things you two got up too..." She said, as she regained her composure.

"Which is why we say nothing...." Helena responded angrily.

Christie's laughter stopped completely when she noticed Kokoro shooting her a mysterious look.

"You know.... you should join us tonight. The more the merrier."

"Ah?! Kokoro?!"

Helena flushed bright red at her statement. Though Helena and Christie's relationship was not romantic or physical in any way, images of the three of them struck her head. She couldn't help but secretly get excited.

"Ha! You know I don't swing that way!" Christie responded arrogantly.

"Besides, the spurs on my Ferrari must be let loose. Tonight, I think I'll find some punk japanese kids with their cereal box racers, and show them how a real car takes to the streets."

"Oh well, your loss then." Kokoro smiled as her head found Helena's shoulder once more.

The scene was inturrupted by fireworks of every colour of the rainbow lighting a now night sky. The signalled the closing point of the ceremony, as several black Alfa-Romeo convertables did a lap of the arena. Each convertible housed a single fighter. Some waving to the crowd and soaking in the fanfare, others simply sat in their seats, deep in their own thoughts. Helena caught a quick glance at Hitomi's car-to notice that she fell in the later category. She remembered Hitomi's persona in the 4th DOA tournament. She remembered her always being the first to take in the atmosphere of the crowd with a smile on her face. But here, she looked blank and lost. Almost as if she were someone else entirely. The image brought back Helena's anxieties over the tournament in general. First finding Kasumi as Heihachi's bodyguard, then the 'incorrect data' in Hitomi's profile, and now seeing Hitomi looking like a shadow of her former self. Helena's was certain her instinct was on the mark. There was something wrong with this tournament.

…..

About some time later in the night, the fighters were being led off to their rooms by staff assistants. They entered the guest quarters section a single group, but dissolved and scattered as they each fighter found their respective rooms. Eventually, it was just Hitomi and Leifang as they walked down a large hallway with one of the assistants. The doors on the hallway felt miles apart from each other. Since the official ceremony, Hitomi had not spoken a word. She had retreated to the depths of her mind, to contemplate the situation she was in. This had not gone unnoticed by Leifang, and Hitomi knew this. She began weaving lies in her head, preparing for the inevitable. Her train of thought was distracted when the assistant stopped at a fancy white door.

"Here you are, Ms. Kaufmann. Room 35. Your bags are already inside. Enjoy your stay, and good luck at the tournament." He spoke, as he handed a keycard to her.

"Excuse me, but do you mind if you just told me where my room was? I'm gonna help my friend unpack." Leifang asked.

"Umm, OK. You are room 40. down the end of the hallway." He said, handing another keycard to Leifang.

"Thank you."

"Enjoy your stay, and go-" The assistant was cut off by a slamming door.

Hitomi and Leifang gawked at the room they were in, and understood why the doors were so far apart. The room itself was the size of most apartments-stacked on top of each other. The lighting reflected brightly off of the varnished mohogany floorboards. Neatly chisled dark grey slates lined the walls or the room. All the furniture sported a futuristic design. The leather couches and coffee table in the sitting area, the chairs and large table in the dining area, all shared the colour black. The kitchen area, on the other hand, contrasted with white, matching the ceiling. One feature that particully stood out, was a massive LCD built into the wall infront of the couches. The other feature was the bed, whose size could compare with those found in a Gemstone Suite room at Zack island.

"Woah.....this place is.....huge!" Hitomi gasped.

"Agreed. Whoever put this place together, must make Zack look broke." Leifang added.

Hitomi seated herself in one of the couches, and gazed at Leifang. Her eyes burning right into her.

"So, uh..... I'll help you with those suitcases." Leifang nervously stated.

"We both know you're not here to help me unpack." Hitomi responded, her eyes still gazing at Leifang.

Hitomi felt guilty for trying to pry open Leifang's personal life, yet the only way she could quell the unrest in her mind, was to dive into someone elses problems. Leifang let out a deep sigh, and took a seat next to Hitomi.

"The night I started that fight.....I was supposed to meet up with Jann-Lee for a date that night." Leifang started.

Hitomi bowed her head slightly. She knew that name. Jann-Lee was a young man from Hong-Kong to which fighting was all that mattered to him, and the object of Leifang's affection. Though it wasn't normally in Hitomi's nature to hate anyone, she couldn't help but feel resentment towards him. During the 4th DOA tournament, at a time when she was questioning herself, she got a chance to face him. Although Jann-Lee bragged constantly about his self taught style and training, when they fought, Hitomi was clearly more powerful. And she hurt him. Really hurt him. Whenever Leifang talked about Jann-Lee, it was all about proving herself to him. Yet her infatuation was as obvious as the colour of the sky. The truth was that Leifang had already surpassed Jann-Lee, as Hitomi's battle with her clearly proved. Behind the looks and enigma, Jann-Lee was simply arrogant and selfish with his one tracked mind. Too see Leifang discard her affections for someone else would please her greatly. Though Hitomi knew she could never be the object of those affections, if she found someone other than him. It would be enough to know that Leifang was happy with someone she deserved.

"He promised to meet me outside that particular bar at 6:30. We were supposed to have dinner together, then see a movie. Two hours later, and still no sign of him, and it becomes clear that he's stood me up. Again." She explained, surprisingly without any anger in her voice.

"Asshole!"

"...Which is what I thought at the time. I was upset. Angry. I honestly thought that this time, he would put aside his training for just one night for me. So, I thought, fuck it. Since I was already there, I'll make the most of it. Or at least drown my sorrows in alchohol."

"You know, I've never seen you drunk before. How much does it take to get the 'Genious of Tai-Chi' hammered?' Hitomi jokingly asked.

"About 25 straight bundies and 5 jagerbombs. Anyhow, in my drunken haze, some old sleazebag tried to hit on me, and the rest.....you already know." Leifang finished.

"God knows how you've bothered with him for so long." Hitomi said gently to Leifang.

"Looking back on that night, I'm not even sure if I can answer that. I found him a week later to drill him on ditching me. Turns out he was at a local fighting tournament that night. He acted as though he'd done nothing wrong. He said to me, unapologetically 'My training must always come before leisure. That is my way, and you should respect that.'." Leifang began to explain.

"Did ya kick his ass?"

"No. I walked away. That night taught me something. I don't care about Jann-Lee. I never should have. Besides, I think a have feelings for someone much better." Leifang finished, her cheeks turning red on the last sentence.

Hitomi's heart skipped a few beats on Leifang's last sentence. At least one wish came true, and the second was on its way there. The long lost school girl side of her surfaced once more.

"Wow! So, C'mon,who is he? Someone I know" Hitomi asked impatiently, leaning in towards Leifang.

"Yes, someone you know very well. But that's all I'm saying!" Leifang struggled to reply with a straight face.

"Oh, so he thought in the tournament then. Is it Ryu? Elliot?! Bayman perhaps. Oh C'mon, tell me!" Hitomi nagged, letting her excitement get the better over her train of thought.

"We're supposed to be best friends. And best friends also tell each other everything." Hitomi added.

"Best friends also respect each other's privacy." Leifang returned with a witty retort.

"Fine.... You win for now, but I'm gonna find out. One way or the other."

"Don't worry. If something happens from my little crush, you'll be the first to know about it." Leifang said, with a gentle smile.

Hitomi nodded back, before heading towards the bed, where her suitcases waited. It was getting time to pop another rejuvenator. She opened a small black leather case, the one she packed her toiletries in. She systematically rumaged through each pocket for the canister.

"So, why are you here, and not with your family?" Leifang asked, her tone of voice changed slightly.

"What do you mean?" She answered complacently, unaware of where Leifang was going with her question.

"I know what happened to your dad."

Those words practically echoed in her ear. Though she didn't have much time to think about it, Hitomi practically cooked her mind through brainstorming on what to say if Leifang started asking intrusive questions into her situation. A chill ran up Hitomi's spine. Being faced with the real senario brought with it a completely different feeling, one that Hitomi was not mentally prepared for.

"What did you hear?" Hitomi snapped back, turning her head towards Leifang in a split second.

"Uhhh...that he died in an explosion. It was on the news." Was her reply, as she practically jumped back in her seat at Hitomi's sudden movement.

Her heartbeat slowed down slightly. Hitomi didn't recall any explosions when fighting Jin in the dojo, nor did she really care. What mattered is that Leifang believed it, and was still oblivious to the truth.

"But you should be at home, with your friends and family. Not here, fighting in a tournament." Leifang added, regaining her composure.

"family..... the people that abandoned us after mother died." Hitomi uttered sadly, as she turned her head back towards her briefcase.

"And the people I once called friends?..... They're either too full on teenage crap or drugs to care about what happens to me."

"No, the only way I can honour my father's memory, is by displaying his trade to the world." Hitomi finished her speech.

She rumaged through her suitcase some more when she found what she was looking for. She removed the canister of tablets from the pocket.

"That's something Jann-Lee would say. I'm sorry, but sometimes your attitude over your priorities reminds me of him, but with boobs." Leifang blatantly stated.

Hitomi froze at the end of those words. Leifang had an uncanny ability to be direct and hard-hitting with her words. And sometimes, she was unaware of exactly how hurtful she could be with her words. Hitomi despised Jann-Lee for the type of person he was, and the thought of being compared to him by personality, made her blood boil.

"That......hurt" She replied quietly, though the anger was clear in her voice.

"I.....ummm.....look, I'm sorry." Leifang stuttered.

Still dwelling in her private rage, Hitomi simply ignored her. Instead walking over to the kitchen area to get a glass. As she was filling it with water from the tap, Leifang noticed the canister of tablets Hitomi was holding.

"What are those for?" Leifang asked, wary of Hitomi's responses.

Hitomi sighed deeply, her previous rage left her body with her exhale. She knew at this point, Leifang wouldn't buy a text book 'stomach ulcer' excuse. Hitomi looked back at Leifang, to find a concerned look on her soft features. She starred back for a moment, and in Leifang's worried eye's Hitomi found the right words.

"I have another reason for being here. The thing is that....... I'm sick. And not with something regular doctors can cure either. A ninja named Yoshimitsu told me that I might find a cure here, but the only way to find it is to take his place in the tournament."

"It sounds silly I know, but-"

"I-I jumped to conclusions too early. I am so sorry." Leifang interrupted, tears began to well up in her hazelnut eyes.

"I should be sorry too. This month hasn't exactly been great for my mood, so please forgive me if I haven't seemed like my self." Hitomi responded with an apology of her own.

"No. Please don't apologize. This disease.....is it fatal?" Leifang nervously asked.

"You could say that." Hitomi replied, the memories of the Hajin-mon clan were still fresh in her mind.

Hitomi quickly swallowed the green tablet, which left an awful, bitter after taste in her mouth. She then gazed deeply into the sink, losing herself once more in thought. Lies are easier to spin, when they're mixed with the truth. And there was a lot of it in her lie. She WAS in fact sick, and her disease was fatal. The difference was that it was fatal to anyone around her. A part of her regretted Leifang being at the tournament. Her secret would've been much easier to keep that way. Yet, on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel a small part of her burden was lefted when she confided part of it to Leifang. Her train of thought was broken whe Leifang pulled her away from the sink and into a tight hug. Hitomi froze for a short moment, but the feeling of Leifang's warm body against hers loosened her up, causing her to return the hug.

"Hitomi...." Leifang said gently in her ear.

"You have no idea how strong you are....losing your father, and dealing with a fatal illness at the same time. I know I couldn't do that."

"Lei..."

"I....I just want you to know that, you can rely on me for anything. I'm gonna help you get through this. You're my best friend, so for the sake of our friendship, we are gonna beat this. Together."

As Leifang spoke, Hitomi heard her whimper through her words. It was one of many reasons why Hitomi felt so strongly for her, As hurtful as she could be sometimes, Leifang's compassion was tenfold.

"Thank you." Was all Hitomi could say before burrying her face in Leifang's shoulder.

The feeling of being in Leifang's arms made the walls guarding Hitomi's emotions non-existent. It was like being in another world, where there was no stress, sadness, anger, or anything unpleasant. The rhythm of Leifang's heartbeat could almost put Hitomi to sleep, if it weren't for the rejuvenator. Suddenly, Leifang held Hitomi by the shoulders at an arms length, and starred deeply into Hitomi's sky blue eyes.

"I want you to do something for me." Leifang asked directly.

"Yes?"

"I bought a holiday ranch in Minnesota with the money we bribed off of Zack. Once we get through this, I want you to stay with me there for a few weeks."

"...I might actually do that."

" That wasn't a request. Besides, going on what you told me about your family, then you won't be in a rush to get back home. It'll be just like old times at Zack Island. Except it'll be just us". Leifang encouraged.

"In that case, it's a promise." Hitomi smiled, gently placing her left hand ove Leifang's.

Leifang eventually let go of Hitomi.

"But for now, I want you to get some rest. You'll need all your energy for your first fight."

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." Hitomi said.

Leifang nodded, before walking towards the door.

"And Hitomi, it really is nice to see you again." She said, before letting herself out.

Now that she was all alone, Hitomi allowed herself to flop onto her bed. Whilst she had the Devil Gene, sleep was a denied commodity. But with Leifang's offer to stay at her holiday ranch with her, Hitomi now had the motivation to see this through to the end. She now had renewed confidence in herself. She would find her cure for the Devil Gene, no matter what. Though the road was still long, the chance to tell Leifang how she really felt could be seen off in the distance...

Writer's Notes: And about friggin time. First let me apologise again for being so late with my update, however, lack of motivation took its toll on me, and I got distracted by some shiny objects. But then I suppose the temptation to procrastinate comes to all of us.

OK, the main thing to comment on her, is the inclusion of Helena, Christie and Kokoro. I felt that if my crossover is gonna be based around the next King of Iron Fist tournament, then it just seems right to throw the DOATEC in as an extra unknown element. And since this story occurs after DOAX2, then DOATEC means Helena. As you've read by now, that Helena's trying to save the DOATEC from bankruptcy, and it seems like Heihachi is nice enough to put his hand up to help out. Sounds pretty legit, right? RIGHT?! Also, Helena knows there's something not right about the tournament. Later in the story, she'll have an important part to play, but for now, she's simply an observer.

Also, I decided to pair up Helena with Kokoro, instead of Christie, simply because pairing up with Christie is too obvious. If you've played DOA 4, then you'll know that Helena makes a reference to Kokoro's mother, so the pairing isn't completely random. I may make more of it in the next chapter, but for now, just take the fluff for what it is....Fluff.

NEXT CHAPTER: The first round of the tournament begins, as Hitomi discovers there are people who cared about Jin Kazama after revenge.

Final Disclaimer Notice: Dead or Alive and all characters are owned by Tecmo(or Team Ninja). Tekken and all characters are owned by Namco.(copy and paste....)


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